Researching the Surviving Spouse

posted in: Family History, Genealogy | 0

I had a great aunt that I had trouble finding.  Finally, after some research I was able to find her.

She died very young from pregnancy complications. 

But, I wanted to know about the man that she married.  Who was he?  What happened to him after her death?  Did he remarry?

I set out to find the answers and was able to locate him on census records and through his obituary.

He went on to marry again and have children.  I wondered if he ever talked about his first wife with his new family or even if they knew about her.

Then I discovered that he was buried beside my aunt, his first wife.  Clearly, he had not forgotten her, even though he outlived her by more than fifty years.  {For whatever reason, when his second wife died years later, she was buried in a cemetery about 30 miles away. They were married for 38 years.   That’s a mystery I’d love to solve.}

When conducting genealogy research, don’t forget to research the surviving spouse.  Discover what happened to him or her.  That individual continued to live and have a life.

Do you research the surviving spouse?

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